Compare Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism

Over its long history, Buddhism has taken a wide variety of forms. The Mahayana tradition tends to emphasize rituals and the worship of deities, while the Theravada tradition rejects rituals and gods in favor of pure meditation. Yet all forms of Buddhism share respect for the teachings of the Buddha and the goal of ending suffering and the cycle of rebirth.

The following chart provides an introduction to the similarities and differences between Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism.

On a mobile device? You can scroll right to see more columns, but you'll probably have to use a larger device to have a decent view of the chart. Sorry about that.